In dense urban environments, space can become an issue, and architects are constantly looking for innovative ways to work around the city. Bleak though it is, space, or lack thereof, poses a particular problem for cemeteries.
This problem was recently put to Los Angeles firms Lehrer Architects and Arquitectura y Diseno, which were tasked with creating a mausoleum for the legendary Hollywood Forever Cemetery in LA. Their solution? Build upwards.
The Gower Mausoleum, which has just finished its first phase of construction, is the tallest mausoleum in the US. The towering structure will provide housing for 50,000 deceased in 22,500 crypt spaces and 30,000 niches for ashes, extending the cemetery's life by 50 years. Standing at 100 feet tall, the concrete monument features open breezeways and a stepped-garden street front.
Its vertical structure demonstrates an innovative approach to save ground-floor real estate in an industry that traditionally requires so much surface area. But, as an LA landmark, situated just south of Paramount Studio and on an axis with the Hollywood sign, the Gower Mausoleum is also a cultural and spiritual beacon that honours the dead, as well as their visitors and, by extension, the entire Hollywood community.
Design for the mausoleum began in 2013, with the teams involved taking inspiration from Pop Artists such as Donald Judd, Carl Andre and Andy Warhol, specifically his Brillo Box sculptures. Influences from the sculptures of Eduardo Chillida, as well as the ziggurats and mastaba from Mexico and ancient Persia, can also be felt.
The Hollywood Forever Cemetery is a 53-acre landmark originally designed by the landscape architect Joseph Earnshaw (1831-1906), opened to the public in 1899 as the Hollywood Cemetery. It is a prime example of early-19th-century cemetery planning, eschewing fencing and barriers for open views, bucolic landscapes and pathways for strolling and contemplation. It is the final resting place of legends like Rudolph Valentino, Cecil B. DeMille, Judy Garland, Johnny Ramone and Chris Cornell.
Since narrowly averting closure in 1998, the Hollywood Forever Cemetery is now a cultural hub of remembrance, hosting outdoor film screenings, events at the Masonic Lodge, and concerts on the Fairbanks Lawn, as well as the annual Día de los Muertos celebration.
Through architecture, the Gower Mausoleum is reevaluating how we view cemeteries. It is not a place of mourning but of celebration, filled with natural light and fresh air and with panoramic vistas of LA and beyond. It’s a sad fact that graves usually stop receiving visitors after a few years – this new landmark will ensure Angelenos visit its inhabitants for decades to come.
lehrerarchitects.com
arq-y-di.com
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